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Booksellers are the most valuable destination for the lonely, given the numbers of books that were written because authors couldn't find anyone to talk to.

The best booksellers are like trustworthy pushers: Whatever they're dealing, you take it.

I am a big book collector. I love books.

I'm in the middle of a 25-city book tour, and I like watching what people buy in bookstores. I see people buy books that I strongly suspect they will never read, and as an author, I must tell you, I don't mind this one bit. We buy books aspirationally.

The book salesman should be honored because he brings to our attention, as a rule, the very books we need most and neglect most.

I'm not a great shopper but I do buy a lot of books. I'm the publishers' friend - I buy a hundred books a year and read four.

I love seeing my book on shelves and getting letters from people who liked the book. I love telling stories and having other people tell stories to me.

I'm an appreciator. I love all kinds of books, and I want others to love them, too.

I like to give people novels I think they would like, on no particular occasion - just when we're in a bookstore together. I like to receive reference books on my birthday.

I love rare books. Not that I own a lot of them, mind you. You couldn't quite call me a rare-book collector. But I did once work in a rare-books library, and I wrote a novel about a rare book.